Car step and door operating mechanism.



P. JLSTRIIVIPLE. CAR STEP AND DOOR OPERATSNGIMECHANISM.

APPLICATlON FILED LAN-2.1911. V. I atented Mar. 27,1917.

j mwww PH]. STRIMPLE.

CA-R STEP AND 000R. OPEHATI'NGMECHANISM.

W 'APPLICATHIIN FILED JAIL 2.1917- i fi fi wfi fifin Patented MELT. 27, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

tinrrnn hTdThd rnrnur outron.

meson .r. semi/risen, or CLEVES, OHIO, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T STANLEY srnUBLn,

l or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

CAR STEP AND DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2t, 1917.

Application filed January 2, 1917. Serial No. 140,161.

52" 0 all whom it may; concern:

Be it known that l, linnon J. S'lRIMlLE, u citizen of the United States, residing Cleves, in the county of Hamilton, State or Uhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Step and Door Operating Mechanisms; and I hereby declare the following to be e scription of the invention, such as will en able others skilled in the art to which it upperteins to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway cur steps, and has particular reference to a folding our step.

The object 01" the invention is to provide it cer step for railway cars together with means for actuating; the some.

The invention furthermore contemplates the provision. of menus associated with the car step actuating means for openingnnd closing the trap door and the vestibule door of a. railway car, the several operations being accomplished simultaneously.

A further object of the invention consistsin a. peculiar air operated mechanism for folding or opening the our step.

With the above objects in View and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, my invention will now be fully set forth and described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view, having parts broken away, in order to disclose the step, door and trap actuating mechanism, 7

Fig. 2 is a. sectional view in which the platform end is removed to show the step actuating mechanism in elevation,

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view showing part of the trap and door actuating mechanism in elevation,

Fig. 4 is u detail plan view of the door and trap actuating mechanism,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the trap and door actuating mechanism,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of u. distributing vglve, and

Fig. 7 is a detail view of a. connection botween the step and door actuating devices.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the. usual flight of steps, giving entrance to the vestibule of a railway car, the opening required for the step being usually closed by the horizontally hinged trap door 2 and the end of the vestibule being closed by the usual vestibule door 3.

full, clear, and exact de-' The last fixed step of the flight has hinged thereto, along its front edge, a riser 4, and a movable door step 5 is mounted upon a pair of reciprocating rods 6 which move longitudinally below the flight of steps and are provided at their forward ends with forwardly projecting horizontal feet 7 to which the step 5 is bolted or otherwise rigidly secured. The step 5 thus, within the limits of the movement communicated thereto by the reciprocating rods 6 does not move out of its horizontal position, though it is carried into a number of horizontal planes. The ends of the step 5, near the rear portions thereof, are provided with outwardly extending pintles 8 which ride in the longitudinal slots 9 of hinged brackets or plates 10 which a re rigidly I secured to the ends of the riser 4. Thus, as the rods are longitudinally moved below the step 1 to carry the step 5 rcarwardly and up wnrdly from one horizontal position to another, the hinged riser swings backwardly therewith, the pintles 8 working upwardly in the slots 9 until the step 5 has been carried to a position where its front edge is directly I below or to the rear of the front edge of the lower fixed step. A pair of vertical slots 11 are entered into the riser from the lower edge thereof, and are located to permit the rods 6 to ride therein when the step 5 is carried upwardly and rcnrwardly, the parts when forward, taking the position shown at the right in Fig. l. The rods 6 extend upwardly in an inclined direction in line with the pitch of the steps and are suitubl y bracketed either to the body of the steps or to the side beams thereof. They urejoined near their lower ends by a transverse bar 12, which forms a cross head for a. piston rod 13 which extends upwardly in line with the rods (3 and isconnected to a piston. in a, cylinder 14 which is also mounted below the steps, being securely bracketed thereto. Air pipes 15 and 16 entered into the opposite heads of the cylinder 14 are controlled bya. four-way valve 17 which may be actuated to supply air to either end of the cylinder, either to fold or unfold the step 5. A hand lever, 18 mounted upon the pintlo of the fourwny valve 17 provides n'mcuns for controlling the actuation of the step. The valve 17 and the handle 18 are carried in a bracket 19 and :1 locking segment 20 is suitably mounted for the purpose of positioning the lever in either opened or closed position.

Thus, when air is introduced in the forv ward end of the cylinder 14, the piston is thrust rearwardly and carries therewith the piston rod 13 which obviously also carries up the rods 6, and the step 5 is carried upwardly therewith until the folded position is reached.

Reverse movement of the lever 18 cuts off the air from the front of the cylinder and permits it to be introduced in the rear end thereof to force the piston rod outwardly so,

as to control the step in an obvious manner.

The trap door 2 is provided with a crank arm 21 which is carried by a bearing rod 22 secured to the lower side of the trap within the brackets 23. Hinged brackets 24 mounted on the car frame rotatably carry the bearing rod 22. Secured to the arm 21 is one end of a spring 24 whose opposite end is connected to one arm of the bell crank lever 25. The latter is horizontally pivoted upon a stud 26 which projects downwardly below the floor of the platform. When the bell ci ank lever 25 is rotated, it tensions the spring 24 and the action of the latter upon a.

e arm 21 raises the trap door 2 upwardly. When the trap door is raised, a light coil spring 27 which also has one end connected to the first arm of the bell crank lever 25, tends to continue the movement of the bell. crank lever so as to maintain the tautened relation of the spring 24- and to overbalance the weight of the trap door 2 so as to hold it in its elevated position. The second arm of the bell'crank lever 25 is pivotally secured to a link 28 whose opposite end is connected to a collar 29, slidably mounted upon a reciprocating rod 30. The latter is longitudinally movable in bearings 31, and at its rear end pivoted to a rock lever 32 mounted u on a bracket 33 secured to the car frame.

' connection between the rock arm 32 andthe link 38, the mechanism for operating the door and trap does not come 1nto action until I the proper interval in the folding of the step.

Mounted upon the rod 30 is a fixed collar 40 which is adapted to abut against the end of the slidable collar 29 at, the proper interval in the operation of the rod 30 in order to actuate the link 28 whereby the trap door iselevated.

The operation of the foregoing mechanism is dependent upon the rods 6 which actuate the step 5, since the door and trap opening mechanism are directly connected to the latter. The rods 6 being actuated by the piston rod 13 to fold the step 5. When the rod 6 carrying the joint 39 is carried downwardly in the operation. of opening the step, the link 38 is carried downwardly therewith so that after the slotted portion 37 has traveled to the limit of its movement on the lower end of the rock arm 32, the latter is actuated to throw the rod rearwardly, thereby opening the door through the action of the crank arm at. At the proper interval, the collar 40 strikes against the slidable collar 29 thereby carrying it with the rod 30 so as to actuate the bell crank lever 25 through the link 28. T he spring 2% being thereby tensioned finally throws the crank arm 2l with a snap action to throw the trap door upwardly, the spring 27 adding its tension to hold the door resiliently in its upraised position.

Obviously, the operation of the piston rod in the opposite direction. to swing the step from open position to folded position reverses the action of the mechanism to restore the trap door and vestibule door to their closed positions. V

From the foregoing, itis apparent that I have conceived a compact and positively operative mechanism for controlling the operation of railway car vestibule and trap doors simultaneously with the folding of the lower step. Obviously, the hand-lever .18 may be substituted by an electro-magnet which is energized by closing a suitable switch connected with the circuit of the electro-magnet. Furthermore, the trap and vestibule door actuating mechanism may be disconnected from the step folding mechanism and the cylinder 14 employed solely for the purpose of folding and unfolding the car step.

What I claim as my invention is 1-- 1. A car step actuating mechanism comprising in combination, a fixed step, rods slidable below said fixed step, a movable step carried by said rods, a riser hinged to said fixed step, and a sliding connection between the movable step and the riser.

2. A car step actuating mechanism, cornprising in combination a fixed step, rods slidable below said fixe step, a step rigidly mounted on said rods to move therewith, a riser hinged to said fixed step, slotted plates on said riser and pintles on said step slidablc in said slotted plates, said step being carried upwardly and rearwardly in longitudinal position and said riser folding thereon.

3. A car step actuating mechanism, comprising in combination, a fixed step, rods slidable below said fixed step, a movable step carried by said rods, a riser hinged to said fixed step, a sliding connection between the movable step and the riser, a trap door and a vestibule door, means linking said trap door to said rods and means connecting said vestibule door to said rods,

' 5 nism, comprising in combination with a In testimony meanest bi whereby movement of the rods actuates said rods, and means connecting said vestibule trap and vestibule doors simultaneously with door to sand rods, whereby movement of the folding of said step. the latter simultaneously withdraws said our step and door actuating mechastep and closes said trap and vestibule doors.

whereof, I aflix Iny signa- 15 fixed step, a trap door and a vestibule door, ture, in the presence of two Witnesses.

rods slidable below said fixed step, a mov- PIERCE J. STRIMPLE. able step carried by said rods to be carried Witnesses: upwardly and rearwardly below said fixed R. C. HUGENTOBLER,

10 ste means linkin said tradoor to said STANLEY STRUBLE. 

